Slovakia, as a country, is very well known for its fondness for golden mouk beer. Therefore, it is not surprising that Banská Bystrica is widely known for its history in beer production.
In 1501, representatives of the city asked the then king Vladislav II. to grant privileges, among which was the right to brew beer. The beer produced could also be exported outside of the city, so the townspeople could also become rich in this way. Throughout the 16th century, beer was also brewed in the city brewery, whose location has not been revealed to this day. Maybe one day people will be able to discover this historic brewery, which is still hidden under the veil of secrecy. The third "institution" that brewed beer is the Thurzovsko-Fuggerovská media company, but it brewed beer exclusively for the members of its mines and smelters. The representation of the brewing craft was so strong that a brewing craft guild was established, the establishment of which dates back to 1635. The price of beer depended on the price of grain, in Zvolenská stolica in 1758 the price of a holb of beer was around 1 grajciar (1 holb = 0.70 litre). The origin of today's Urpín brewery can most likely be found in one of the family breweries.
Beer originating from Banská Bystrica won several awards, among the first being an award in 1908 in Bratislava at a gastronomic exhibition, a year later it won the "Grand prix" award in 1909 in Paris, London, and Rome. The prize was won by a beer that was protected by law and that was bottled in half-liter bottles under the name ZLATO PRAMEŇ.
Currently, golden mok is brewed under Urpín and in the vicinity mainly by "Banskobystrický pivovar, a.s." and several small producers. The history of beer making in this Slovak city continues, and perhaps this is also why the organisers decided to hold the Banská Bystrica beer festival. The beer festival takes place on the Square of the Slovak National Uprising for two days. During the event, participants can taste up to 13 types of beers that come from the city of Banská Bystrica or its immediate surroundings. If you decide to visit this city outside of the beer festival and you are not only a beer lover, but also a lover of historic buildings, I recommend you visit the Bystrica clubhouse, which is located above the Square of the Slovak National Uprising.
